Metaphor
by AleutianStorm
Summary: Post Ep: Undercover. What happens when Elliot helps Olivia through the aftermath of her undercover stint in prison. MA Rating for language and who knows where this thing will go . Also, Kathy isn't going to be around for very long!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tragically, they don't belong to me.

Spoiler Warning: Anything through 'Undercover' is fair game.

Elliot Stabler was worried about his partner. Ever since her undercover stint at Sealview she'd been withdrawn and short-tempered. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping, she'd lost at least ten pounds and her eyes lacked their usual fire. Elliot had tried to talk to her about what had happened in the basement at Sealview, but she had immediately shut him down and changed the subject. He'd even gone so far as asking Fin about it, but like Olivia, Fin refused to discuss what had transpired in that basement. Elliot sighed. It was getting late, Kathy was expecting him at home to help with the baby and Olivia had left forty five minutes earlier. There was nothing he could do about it tonight, but he resolved to try talking to her again in the morning. As he stood at his locker, he heard some disturbing sounds coming from the gym. It sounded like someone was kicking the shit out of the punching bag and crying at the same time.

Elliot eased the gym door open and peered inside. The sight of Olivia nearly stopped his heart. She was standing in front of the bag, alternating between delivering a fury of punishing blows and wiping tears from her eyes. Her black shorts and tank top were glued to her with sweat and they displayed the extent of the beating she'd taken while undercover. Obviously he'd seen the bruises on her face, but she'd kept the rest of them hidden. Almost every inch of her arms and legs were covered in dark purple bruises. Elliot's fists clenched involuntarily. He wanted to kill or at least seriously harm Lowell Harris for what he'd done to Olivia. He took a deep breath, trying to control his rage.

Olivia heard the sharp intake of breath and whirled around to face her partner, praying that it wasn't too obvious that she'd been crying and that he wouldn't try to press her about Sealview.

"Elliot! What are you doing here?"

"I, uh-heard you…through the door. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Yeah, El. I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she said almost automatically as she turned back toward the punching bag; ready to continue her assault on it.

Elliot knew she was pissed off that he'd come into the gym at all and even more pissed off that he'd seen her crying. He knew she didn't want to talk about what had happened to her. He also knew that if she didn't talk about it, it would eventually consume her – it had already started to. He took another deep breath.

"That's not possible," he said softly.

"What?"

"Me not worrying about you, Liv. That's not possible and you know it."

"Really, Elliot. I'm fine. Go home," she sighed.

"Bullshit! I know you haven't been sleeping. And crying while you beat the crap out of a punching bag isn't normal…not for you."

"Look, I really don't want to have this conversation with you. Not now, not ever," Olivia snarled as she resumed raining punches on the boxing bag.

Elliot crossed the room in three steps and grabbed the bag so she couldn't continue to ignore him.

"Elliot, what the fuck!"

"You don't have to tell me what happened, Liv. Just tell me why you won't talk about it." He was almost begging.

Olivia sighed deeply. She had known that eventually Elliot would refuse to be blown off and they'd end up having this "Come to Jesus" moment. She hated feeling weak, vulnerable and backed into a corner. There'd been far too much of that in her life in the last few days.

"You really want to know why I won't tell anyone about the basement?" She was yelling now.

"Yeah, Liv, I really do," he yelled back.

"Fine. I won't talk about it because I've never been so terrified in my entire life, Elliot. I was afraid that Harris was going to kill me. I was even more afraid of what was going to happen if he didn't. The whole thing haunts me day and night and no one else needs that nightmare stuck in their head too. I came so close to becoming an SVU case. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable and more than a little pathetic that I couldn't save myself. It changed the way I see myself and I don't need it changing the way other people see me too."

When she was finished, she was out of breath and tears were openly pouring down her face. Elliot felt like a first class asshole for pushing her so hard. He took her hand, which was still encased in a boxing glove and led her to a bench. While she cried, he carefully removed the boxing gloves and unwrapped her hands. Elliot noticed that Olivia's wrists were raw and bruised. He'd seen bruises like those before on suspects who had fought against the hard, unforgiving steel of handcuffs.

Through her tears, Olivia noticed Elliot staring at her wrists. She tried to hide them, but Elliot caught her hands in his. His ice blue eyes locked with hers.

"Liv, these bruises…are they from handcuffs," he asked quietly.

Olivia nodded and cried even harder. Elliot was immediately sorry for asking.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," he whispered.

Olivia fought to reign in her out of control emotions.

"It's okay, El," she said; mopping her eyes with a towel. "I know you only asked because you're concerned. I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it, but I know I really don't have a choice."


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note:

I'm sorry I haven't updated this. I'm not abandoning the story, but I am putting it on hiatus for a while.


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